Building on the momentum of establishing the first SAP Next-Gen Hub in MENA at King Abdul Aziz University, SAP University Alliances/SAP Next-Gen MENA in collaboration with the SAP University Competence Center at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg organized a Digital Transformation Roadshow in Saudi Arabia from December 11-15, 2016. The five-day roadshow toured five strategic University Alliances campuses: Prince Sultan University, King Saud University, King Abdul Aziz University, Effat University, and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. More than 150 senior academic staff/faculty members and 200 students were exposed to SAP & SAP University Alliances’ academic, research, and co-innovation initiatives with focus on exponential technologies including Big Data, Cloud, Machine Learning, IoT, In-Memory Computing, Mobile App Coding, and Industry 4.0. The five universities were encouraged to partner with SAP throughout their digital transformation journey as they focus their efforts toward Saudi Vision 2030.     

Highlights of the Digital Transformation Roadshow:

Prince Sultan University (PSU) in Riyadh, KSA:

·         Meeting with the Dean of the College of Computer & Information Sciences - Dr. Jarallah Al-Ghamdi   

·         Meeting with the curriculum review team

·         Faculty Innovation workshops with focus on Big Data, IoT, Cloud, and Machine Learning

 King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh, KSA:

·         Meeting with the Dean of the College of Computer Science - Dr. Mansour Zuair and the Vice Deans of the College

·         Faculty and Student Innovation workshops with focus on Big Data, IoT, Cloud, and Machine Learning  

·         Initiated discussion on establishing an SAP Next-Gen Hub on campus to serve the SAP ecosystem in Riyadh  

 King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) in Jeddah, KSA:

·         Meeting with the Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology - Dr. Abdulrahman Altalhi and the Director the High Performance Computing Center

·         Faculty and Student Innovation workshops with focus on Big Data, IoT, Cloud, and Machine Learning

·         Enablement Session on Research and Co-innovation for the newly established SAP Next-Gen Hub at KAU  

Effat University in Jeddah, KSA:

·         Meeting with the Provost - Dr. Mervat Chouman - and Deans of the College of Business, the College of Engineering,  and Graduate Studies and Research

·         Faculty and Student Innovation workshops with focus on Big Data, IoT, Cloud, and Machine Learning

·         High-level discussion on SAP’s various initiatives aimed at empowering Women in Tech

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Khobar, KSA:

·         Meeting with the H.E. the Rector - Dr. Khaled Saleh Al-Sultan - and the Chairmen of the College of Industrial Management and College of Computer Science & Engineering   

·         Faculty and Student Innovation workshops with focus on Big Data, IoT, Cloud, and Machine Learning

·         Initiated discussion on establishing an SAP Next-Gen Hub on campus to serve the SAP ecosystem in KSA Eastern Province   

Senior academic staff, faculty members, and students were very enthusiastic to take part in the roadshow and are looking forward to engaging further with SAP.

"Digital transformation is a global mega-trend that will have a huge impact on us all and it will certainly impact students & employers. As the market leader in enterprise applications, SAP is at the center of today’s business and technology revolution" - commented Dr. Jarallah AlGhamdi, Dean CCIS, Prince Sultan University.

“King Abdul Aziz University is pleased to be part of the SAP Next-Gen Digital Transformation Roadshow where our faculty members and students had a unique opportunity to learn about the various research and co-innovation programs that could be initiated in collaboration with the SAP ecosystem.” - commented Dr. Iyad Katib, Director High Performance Computing Center and Vice Dean FCIT, King Abdul Aziz University.

Special thanks to Stefan Weidner, Executive Director, SAP University Competence Center Magdeburg, for his incredible support for making the roadshow very successful.